Emergency resolution on Tokay mold means delay of school start date

The Lodi Unified school board voted Tuesday night to go ahead with an emergency resolution that would push Tokay High School's start date back to Sept. 4.

Board members approved the resolution in a 6-0 vote.

Approval of the resolution will also allow the district to expedite work on Tokay High's mold problem without going through a two-month bidding process.

On June 14 during a scheduled modernization project, construction workers discovered a severe mold problem that tainted every classroom building on campus.

Upon the board's vote, Superintendent Bill Huyett released a proposed calendar for Tokay High's 2007-08 school year.

As a result of the late start, staff and students will potentially miss out on their two-week break in October. Their March break will be shortened to one week, and nine days will be tacked on to the end of the school year.

Tokay High Principal Erik Sandstrom isn't thrilled about the last-minute schedule-change but recognized that it was the only way to get his students back in the classroom.

"At times it's going to make for a long school year," Sandstrom said.

Sandstrom said that administrators looked at every possible solution to the problem — from moving the students to Lodi and Bear Creek High School to extending the school day by an hour — but in the end, rearranging Tokay High's calendar was the only one that would work.

"Is there another way? No," Sandstrom said.

Huyett noted that, while the proposed calendar is unusual for Tokay High, it's commonplace for many other schools.

"A lot of other school districts operate on this schedule," Huyett said.

Huyett said that the district is still working on how to accommodate students who take Regional Occupation Program and Advanced Placement courses off campus at sites that don't have delayed schedules.

The district plans to notify parents and students of the schedule change through its mass-calling system. Information on Tokay High's progress and calendar details will also appear on Lodi Unified's Web site in the near future.

The school board will vote on the proposed schedule at the next school board meeting on July 10.

During the discussion, district staff and board members took pains to keep a positive attitude.

Art Hand, assistant superintendent of facilities and planning, said that Tokay High's modernization project, which would have taken more than two school years to complete, could possibly be finished by the end of next summer.

"It's not an ideal circumstance," board member Peter Johnson said. "But in the end, it will get Tokay done sooner."

Board member Jeff Thompson tried to lighten the mood some by passing a gift to Huyett — a book titled "The Homeowners Guide to Mold."

"I thought you might want to be informed," Thompson said.

Contact reporter Amanda Dyer at amandad@lodinews.com.